Learning to grab is such an exciting milestone. It happens around 3 or 4 months. Before that, newborn hands fly and whack with no control. I remember with Henry I happened to capture on video the moment he starting learning to work his hands. He was sitting in his car seat and started staring at them, slowly moving them right in front of his eyes like he had just figured it all out, “wow, I can control these things?!?”. It starts kind of slowly-you think they just accidentally hit that toy, pretty sure it was a coincidence- and then it becomes much more deliberate over time. Now Edie can lunge, grab, and shove an item in her mouth in the split second when you turn around to answer your phone.

Now everything goes immediately into her mouth. It’s not only how they interact withand explore the world (by trying to eat it all) but I think the onset of teething is timed perfectly to when they can start grabbing and chewing and learning to soothe their sore teething gums on their own. Edie doesn’t have teeth yet but she is gnawing on toys like crazy as her gums prepare for teeth to pop up. I’m so excited to see those two little teeth pop up, it’s so cute! We’ve loved using teething toys and have tried to incorporate more natural, organic teething products and remedies into our routine as part of the Made to Matter, Handpicked by Target™ challenge.

Last week Edie seemed unusually fussy and irritable and instead of running for the infant ibuprofen I grabbed some of the Hyland teething gel and Hyland teething tablets. Have you tried them before? I really think they helped, especially the gel. I’ve gotten a lot of other recommendations as well like giving them a frozen towel to gnaw on. Poor baby’s sore gums!

What do you use to soothe baby teeth coming in? Have you ever tried natural teething or other natural remedies for baby?

5 comments

My favourite solution for teething pain is Weleda teething powder. Admittedly I haven’t been able to find it in the US (although most other Weleda products are available here) so I’ve had family back home in Australia send it to me for my 3 month old to use when she’s a little older. My husband and I used to call it “Baby cocaine” when we started using it with our oldest daughter! It’s like a magical white powder that makes all the pain go away, but it’s homeopathic so there’s nothing nasty in it. I once had terrible pain with a wisdom tooth coming through and the Weleda teething powder worked for me too. I’m guessing the Hyland tablets are probably the same sort of thing.

My second daughter wore an amber necklace from about 4 months old and she didn’t seem to suffer anywhere near as much teething pain as her big sister did. Amber is supposed to have healing qualities that work through the skin simply by being worn (the necklace is not the be chewed on). I thought it was all just new age hippie stuff when my oldest was born so I didn’t try it with her. But then I decided to give it a try with my second. I figured that even if it did nothing her little necklace looked cute! I’m not sure if the amber necklace actually helped or if it was just the luck of the draw but she really didn’t seem to have much teething pain at all. My oldest daughter went through two jars of the teething powder (plus lots of ibuprofen and gum gel before I discovered it) but my second barely used half a jar (and no ibuprofen or gum gel).

My newest little girl will start wearing her amber necklace soon. She’s still far too young for teething yet but the earlier she starts wearing it the less likely she’ll try to pull at it when it’s on. Plus it looks cute 🙂

This is a great list! I keep forgetting to get a Sophie, but those tablets have been so helpful! My little guy is, unfortunately, put off by anything super cold. A watermelon rind and bok choy stalks have been favorite teethers around here.

Christine said…August 5, 2014 2:08 pm

Those teething necklaces are awesome- great accessory and toy for teething babies

Wendy B said…August 5, 2014 11:32 am

the frozen towel is a great trick and I agree those teething tablets have helped my babies too. That first picture is so sweet. Love seeing her grow so big!

Hi there! I'm Liz Stanley. Born and raised a New Yorker I now live in the fairytale city of San Francisco with my husband, son, and baby girl. This lifestyle site is a collection of pretty, creative, and budget-friendly ideas to Say Yes to a more crafty, stylish, and family-focused life. MORE >>>